Northern Ashanti Mines Limited has filed an injunction at the Commercial Division of the High Court in Accra to prevent the Minerals Commission and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources from taking possession of its Konongo concession. The company warns that about $110 million in committed expenditure could be lost if the government proceeds with the takeover.
The application seeks to restrain the Minerals Commission and the Minister from reallocating the mine to third parties until the court decides on the company’s challenge to the termination of its mining lease. The Attorney‑General is also named as a respondent.
Administrative Manager Jonathan Adongo, in a supporting affidavit, alleges that Minerals Commission officials, accompanied by military personnel, visited the mine on 22 October 2026 and ordered the company, its staff and workers to vacate the mine, offices and residential accommodation by midday that day. He says the threatened military takeover is imminent and urges the court to hear the application with urgency.
The company, wholly Ghanaian‑owned and formerly known as Owere Mines Limited, is redeveloping the historic Konongo Gold Mine in the Ashanti Region. It renewed its lease on 2 February 2023 for 13 years, covering about 125 square kilometres, and maintains that Parliament ratified the renewal, which runs until 1 February 2036.
Northern Ashanti Mines has committed capital and incurred expenditure exceeding US$83.34 million on the concession, and recently secured a facility of more than US$30 million to develop a gold processing plant, which it describes as more than 50 % complete. The affidavit puts its committed expenditure at about US$110 million and says the company employs approximately 422 people directly and indirectly.
The dispute follows a termination notice dated 30 April 2026, issued by the Minerals Commission on behalf of the minister, stating that the company failed to remedy or refused to remedy breaches served within the statutory and regulatory timeframe. Northern Ashanti Mines disputes that position, saying no notice of any breach was served and that it was given no opportunity to remedy alleged breaches or explain why its mineral rights should not be cancelled.
The company has received no response to a letter from its lawyers dated 4 May and a petition dated 20 May seeking a review and reversal of the decision. Its injunction application also seeks to prevent security deployments intended to enforce the termination and to stop the granting or transfer of mineral rights over the concession. The company argues that a forcible takeover could endanger staff and surrounding communities, damage equipment and destroy exploration records and geological data.
It is asking the court to preserve its possession of the concession pending the final determination of its judicial review application. The outcome of the case could have significant implications for the mining sector and investment climate in Ghana.
